The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-04-26

| ELDER HUeH WATSON began his re-
marks to the congregation by reading
the passage in the gospel of st. John.
There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John
The same came for witness, to bear wit
ness OF the Light, that all men through him
might believe:
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear
witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was
made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own
received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the
win of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God.
He trusted he might utter something
beneficial to all. The Saints had
adopted system of religion believed by
the world to be antagonistic to the
Bible. In the text read, it stated that
those who were born of God and did
His will should become the sons and
daughters of God. The Latter-day
Saints were entitled to this distinction,
because they had observed all the
requirements of the gospel; they had
been born of the water and of the spirit,
and had been initiated into the kingdom
of God; they had exercised faith and
had been led to repent and had received
that same new birth that Jesus received
in the Jordan, at the hands OF John, the
Baptist. The principles advocated by
the apostles on the Day of Pentecost,
when the people cried, ~ hat shall we
i. l. u, IL
be baptized. were also introduced and
taught by the elders of the Latter-day
Saints. On being born again, the world
believed that it was necessary to be
baptized only many taught thatin order
to be saved it was only necessary to
believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ, but
faith alone, we are told, would save no
one; faith without works is dead; it was
obligatory upon all to obey every princi-
pie OF the gospel as promulgated by
Jesus and His disciples. The same laws
laid down by the Savior were just as
much in force to-day with the Latter
day Saints, and it was just as essential
that mankind observed them now as
then. None of them had been done
away with; there was none which was
declared to be non-essential. 1t is also
necessary, the speaker maintained, that
authority be derived direct from
heaven. There was no reason why men
IN this day should not comply with the
gospel requirements, any more than
they did in the days of Jesus. The gos-
pei taught by the elders of the Latter
day Saints was not Che gospel of Joseph
Smith, or of Brigham Young. or of John
Taylor; it was the gospel of Jesus
Christ; Joseph Smith was instrumental
%h1S oil hn
received his authority from on high.
were enjoyed by the Saints to-day as
formerly How did the Saints know
Joseph Smith was divinely authorized?
BY complying with the law and the Or
dinances. There had been no deception
practiced upon the Latter-day Saints;
they knew for themselves. The demon
stration to them that the work of the
gospel was of God was perfect; it had
been thoroughly and satisfactorily
tested. All that the Saints asked of the
world was to test, examine and prove
the truth or falsity of the doctrines
taught by the former. The honest in
heart realized the power of God in the
wonderful work accomplished by the
Saints in the gathering, the unity and
peace manifested by them. Elder Wat
son rejoiced in the good, old gospel he
advocated; he would give to all the
right to worship God according to the
dictates of conscience. and to act as he
saw fit, SO long as he did not interfere
with others. and desired the same rights
and privileges for himself and fellows.
He knew, he said, that the authority
from heaven was held by the elders of
the Latter-day Saints. In conclusion
he prayed for those rights guaranteed
to all in free country.
ELDER JAMES McMURRIN realized his
weakness, and relied upon the aid of the
Almighty. mo man knoweth the
things OF the God except by the Spirit of
God, we are told, and he realized the
force OF that quotation. The principles
OF faith, repentance, baptism and laying
on of hands, had been mentioned by
referred to by the div1nes of the day. Es-
pecially was this the case with the ordi-
nsnces of baptism and the laying on of
hands. The speaker plainly illustrated
the necessity of the exercise of faith and
the result thereof The laborer was &C
tuated to work by faith that he would be
rewarded when his task was completed;
so they who were baptized would be re-
warded by eternal lives if faithful. The
agriculturlst has faith that his harvest
will be sure if he follows up the sowing
of seed, by attention to the soil and ir-
rigatIng, etc. Faith comes by hearing,
he continued, and when the principles
of the gospel are heard, the hearer sees
wherein he has sinned or erred, and
observes the method to be adopted for
forgiveness; they repent, are baptized,
and by living in accordance with the
laws and commandments of God would
eventually secure eternal life. He re-
ferred to the principle OF obedience, and
said that the efficacy was not in the
water in washing away sin. but ins the
obedience yielded. and in support of his
position. cited the case of the leper who
was cleansed by washing in the Jordan.
There was no religious organization in
the world, to-day, which taught the
principles of baptism and laying on of
hands; yet the l.atter-day SAINTS taught
than and he was proud to declare that
they were resorded in the Bible and